Coaching Drills: Communicating with
Your Coach
Relationship between head coaches and their goalies are often rocky,
tempestuous ones filled with misunderstandings. Most coaches were
not goaltenders and are afraid of ruining them by saying the wrong
thing. This "hands-off" approach leaves goalies frustrated and
causes the netminders to develop negative thinking. The following
sample conversation between a fictional goalie and his coach may
give you some ideas in starting a more honest relationship with your
coach. (G) Goalie:
Coach do you mind if I speak to you for a few minutes?(C) Coach: Not at all, come into my office and
tell me what's on your mind, John.G: I was wondering where I stand as far as
playing time is concerned. In the pre-season, I was the starting
goalie and then I had one bad game and Brian started seeing more
games than me.C: In
pre-season I pegged you as the starting goalie to begin our year
with. You played a couple of strong games, but you followed those
games with sub-par performances against teams we should have beaten.
I decided that since Brian had been looking sharp in practice, I'd
give him a chance to show us what he could do. He has played well,
so for the time being, I will split you both until one of you
becomes more dominant.G: The defense didn't play that well in front
of me during those games so it wasn't all my fault.C: We did have some breakdowns, but you also
gave up early goals from center ice as well as several uncontrolled
rebounds. When soft goals go in, the team lets down and becomes more
worried about preventing shots on goal than going on the offensive.
When the team begins to play tentatively because they are worried
about our goalie, it's time to make a change.G: So, because I had a couple of off days,
I've lost my job for the season.C: You are putting words in my mouth. I've
been around the game long enough to know that goalies have their ups
and downs and playing time must always be earned.G: So, if I play as well as I was at the start
of the season, I'll get more ice time.C: That is a fair statement.G: So, what exactly was I doing then that I'm
not doing now?C:
Early on you were very aggressive on your angles. You weren't
backing off with your weight on your heels. There was no hesitation
moving into rebounds off of the initial save. Your body language
showed an edge of cockiness like you were daring them to score. Now
you are playing deeper in the crease and you look hesitant.G: I didn't realize I was doing those things.C: Goalies usually aren't aware that they are
allowing bad habits to enter their game. I will try to alert you
more often in practice if I see you backing in too much.G: Could you set up drills which allow for
more rebound play? The drills go too fast for me to play them as I
would in a game.C:
That's a good observation and I'll try to design drills that reflect
game situations.G:
You know, I'm glad I came to see you coach. I thought maybe that you
liked Brian more than me.C: I have to be objective, even if it hurts an
individual because the team has to come first. I'm glad you came by.
If you ever have any questions, you should know that I will be here
to help you get some answers.G: Thanks, CoachSummary:The reason this meeting went well was due to
the fact that both parties listened to each other. Both the coach
and the goalie had RESPECT for each others' opinion and they worked
through their misunderstandings.This article was contributed by
Fred Quistgard
of Quistgard Goalie Training.